COALITION PARTNERS WITH CITIES ON VOLUNTARY TOBACCO-FREE PARK ZONES

Fresh air is good for young lungs. And the Tobacco Free Coalition of Clatsop County and local cities are urging residents and visitors to keep smoke away from where young people play.

The coalition has distributed more than three-dozen signs for posting at public parks in communities around the county, asking visitors to the facilities to voluntarily refrain from smoking. The signs are primarily posted near play structures and walking trails.

The campaign is aimed at reducing secondhand smoke and cigarette litter in areas where children congregate, as well as promoting a healthy, tobacco-free environment for everyone.

The signs bear a design from Astoria second-grader Talia Richley whose picture was chosen in the Tobacco Free Coalition’s “Happy Healthy Parks” art contest.

According to the Surgeon General, there are no safe levels of secondhand smoke, a carcinogen that can trigger asthma attacks and respiratory complications. Children are particularly susceptible to the harmful effects of exposure to secondhand smoke.

And cigarette litter, much of which is non-biodegradable, pollutes the environment and can be ingested by toddlers, pets and wildlife.

“The purpose of park areas is to promote community wellness, and tobacco-free policies fit with this idea,” said Steven Blakesley, Health Promotion Specialist with the Clatsop County Public Health Department. “We need to make environmental changes to better promote healthy lifestyle choices. Everybody has a stake in this. As adults we can set examples that will develop healthy behaviors.”

The Oregon Health Authority estimates that tobacco-related illnesses cost Clatsop County an estimated $27 million a year in direct medical costs and lost productivity, and that 21 percent of all deaths in the county are caused by tobacco-related illnesses. Twenty-four percent of 11th graders in Clatsop County consume tobacco, versus 16 percent statewide, according to the Oregon Healthy Teens survey.

For more information go to the “Tobacco Prevention and Education” page on the Clatsop County website, www.co.clatsop.or.us.